The Legend of Zelda The Bonds of Light and Shadow
by Hero of Twili
Summary: A year after the twilight invasion, Link has all but given up any hope of seeing Midna again. What happens when he discovers a way to find her, and what will happen along the way? Disclaimer: I do not own The Legend of Zelda. If I did, a lot of things would have been done differently.
1. A Broken Hero

The Legend of Zelda

The Bonds of Light and Shadow

Chapter 1

Ordon village was only known by the citizens of Hyrule for two reasons. Ordon village was famous for its ranch, and for the hero that once worked there.

It had been over a year since the twilight invasion and in that time Link had become a recluse. He could be seen on his roof, staring at the horizon during the the hours of twilight. At first the villagers were concerned about the young man, but were at loss of how to help him. Whenever Link was approached he would draw his sword and back away. By now most of the villagers had accepted that his journey had changed him and there was nothing they could do to help him. But one man was undeterred by Links change of heart. Rusl had always been a father of sorts to Link and it pained him to see the boy like this. After a year of observing, he brought his plan to action.

"I'll never get to see you again. Damn it Midna, why did you have to go?" Link cried. Knowing there wouldn't be a response, he turned around to go back inside his house only to find Rusl standing in the way, sword drawn.

"Rusl, what are you doing?" whispered Link. Rusl ignored his question and started advancing towards Link, his sword swinging in small circles. "Rusl stop, I don't want to hurt hurt you." Link sighed. The older man just laughed at this. "And what makes you think you'll be able to touch me?"Rusl rushed towards Link, his sword swung in an upward arch that should have cleaved Link in two. Link had been expecting as much and the young swordsman rolled around the blade, drawing his sword in the process. In less than a second, the master sword was pressed up against Rusl's throat.

"That move is called the Fatal Blow, because no matter how skilled you may think you are, there is always someone who will know just how to beat you." Link said softly. Then it hit him, "You knew that you were going to lose, didn't you?" Rusl gave Link a small smile. "Face it Link, there's no way you could have saved Hyrule with only the basic sword maneuvers that I had taught you." Link however was not amused in the slightest. "What hell were thinking!? If hadn't stopped myself, you would be dead now!" Link yelled.

Rusl calmly put his hand on Links shoulder and said, "That's what I've been looking for." Link reeled away from his mentor, a look of horror on his face. "Link, I didn't mean it like that." Rusl assured him. "The reason I attacked you was to gage your reaction. Ever since you went into the castle on your own, you've been acting strange. You don't work on the ranch, you don't talk to the children. Hell, you don't even go out on Epona anymore. All you ever do anymore is practice with the sword the new sword I made for you and stare at the sunset. Uli said it was just something that people your age go through, but the way you reacted a moment ago says otherwise. You still care about everyone, but your trying to hide it. Why are you hiding Link? What happened to you while you were gone?" he asked gently.

Link sat there for moment thinking about what he should say. After a couple minutes Link looked up at Rusl. "I guess I should start from the beginning. You all assumed that Ilia, the children and I were taken by the bulibins. The truth is that they knocked me out and shot Ilia. By the time I came to my senses, they were gone. Their Bulbos left tracks leading into the forest so I ran that way, hoping that I might catch up to them. It was then that I saw the twilight barrier for the first time. I knew that I shouldn't have messed with it, but something about it drew me in. It was almost like it was calling out to my soul, urging me forward. As soon as I took a step towards the wall of darkness, a massive black hand pulled me through the twilight barrier." Link explained.

"You need to understand that there are some things you may hear that will disturb you. Things that may change what you think of me. That is why you must promise me that you will not repeat a word I tell you to anyone." Link demanded. Rusl gave a short nod and Link continued. "An evil creature know as a Twilight Beast grabbed me by the neck and pulled me through the barrier. I tried to break free of it's grasp, but it was too strong. Then to both of our surprise, my hand began to emit a faint glowing light."

Upon hearing this, Rusl immediately dropped down on one knee. "I knew that your outfit seemed familiar and the fact you bear a piece of the Triforce confirmed my suspicions. Forgive me Hero of Time for not seeing the signs sooner." To this Link made a loud snorting sound. "I'm not the Hero of Time, so don't call me that. I'm am the same person you've known for the past 18 years, though you are right that it is a piece of the Triforce." Link said, showing his mentor the the golden triangle on the back of his hand. "The beast was burned by the light, causing it to drop me. When I hit the ground, my vision began to fade away and I blacked out. I was later woken up to the sound of a door slamming shut. I crawled to the source of the sound only to be stopped by a chain attaching my arm to the floor, or at least what had once been my arm. As I looked at at the chain, I saw that it was attached just above a paw. Looking further, I came to a realization that I was no longer a human. Somehow, I had been transformed into a wolf." Rusl stared at Link with a mixture of shock, wonder, and fear. "Who are you?" he asked.

Link gave the older swordsman a sad smile. "I'm the Hero of Twilight."

* * *

 **That took a long time for me to plan and even longer for me to write. This is probably going to be the only chapter that isn't from Link's perspective. I've had a rough idea of what I this story was going to be like for about a year now, but I never had the courage to actually write and then post it online. Maybe you'll like this story, maybe you won't, but I'll keep on writing either way.**


	2. Tales of the Past

Chapter 2

Realizing how exposed they were, the two of them headed moved their conversation inside Link's house, where they were less likely to be overheard by a passerby. Link cleared of the nearest table and pulled up a couple of chairs for them to sit.

"Anyways, I was stuck as a wolf in some sort of prison, but at that moment the only thing I cared about was getting out of that chain. I tried just about everything to break the shackle on my leg, but the thing wouldn't budge an inch. I quickly realized that I wasn't alone and I looked up from my shackles. That was the first time I ever saw her." Link continued.

Rusl leaned back with a small grin on his face. "I see now, this is about princess Zelda." Rusl said, a hint of amusement in his voice. To this Link tilted his head to side and pondered over Rusl's words for a minute.

"I'd have to say yes and no to that." Link said slowly. "This is about the princess, but Zelda has very little to do with it. You see, on the other side of the bars of the cell was an imp. She in no way friendly to me, but she got me out the cell and took me to see Zelda. Zelda briefly explained to me what had happened to Hyrule and why I had turned into a wolf. It was also then that I learned that the imp was named Midna. As we left, Midna gave me an option. I could go back to Ordon and live the rest my days as a beast, or I would do whatever she told me to do and she would help me save the children and Ilia in return. For a while, we had a pattern of of events. Return the light to a light spirit, become human, save someone that had been taken, explore a temple or dungeon and retrieve a fused shadow. That was the name of the magic items that Midna needed me to retrieve for her. As we worked together, she became less harsh. She would no longer shout at me for not getting something done fast enough, and she began to understand what I was going through. After a couple weeks, I retrieved the final fused shadow for her."

Link briefly paused, allowing Rusl to process what he had heard. "Well, that explains why the we lost contact with the rest of Hyrule. Please, go on with your story." With a slight dip of his head, Link continued.

"I knew the fused shadows were powerful, but I had no idea why Midna needed them until we were ambushed. Zant the Usurper King had been watching us from the shadows. He overpowered Lanayru with a wave of his hand, bathing the province in twilight. I was forced to go through the transformation into the sacred beast, rendering myself unconscious. When I woke up, Midna was lying on the ground, moments away from being hit by one of Zant's spells. We may not have gotten along very well, but she helped me save everyone and I wasn't about to let someone kill her. I lunged at him only to be hit right on in the head by the projectile that was intended for her. She could have ran away then. It only would have taken her a couple of seconds to warp half way across Hyrule. You can imagine my surprise when I felt her kneel beside me, trying to see if I was alright. That's what made me realize that she didn't just think of me as a means to an end, but as a friend."

Rusl sat there with a look of awe on his face as Link spoke of rushing Midna to the castle, being chosen by the master sword, the search for the mirror shards, and restoring Zelda's spirit to her body. "All my life I've heard the tales of various youths garbed in green, but never in my wildest dreams did I expect to see one in my lifetime." Rusl exclaimed with a look of childish joy on his face. But that excitement was soon replaced by a look of concern. "What became of Ganondorf after Zelda was freed and what happened to Midna?"

"Right as we got to Zelda, Ganondorf's essence began to reform as a massive ball of fire in the shape of his head. I was backing away in shock when I noticed Midna had summoned all of the fused shadows. I tried to stop her from fighting him alone but she had already began to warp me and Zelda out of the castle. The last thing I saw before I warped was her looking back at me with saddest of smiles on her face." Link said. He leaned his head forward and wiped away the tears that were beginning to form.

Rusl placed his hand on Links shoulder. "You don't have to keep going do this if your not ready."

"No, I can't. I can't just keep on running away from what happened. I have to let it out before it consumes me." Link said. "Zelda and I were deposited onto the field directly north of Kakariko Village. Seconds later, the top of Hyrule castle exploded. Every second felt like a lifetime as I sat there and waited for Midna to show herself. I was broken out of my stupor when Zelda grabbed my shoulder and pointed at Ganondorf's form in the distance. His dark steed rose on its hind legs and he lifted a fused shadow above his head. He easily crushed Midna's helmet, and my heart went with it. That was Ganondorf's greatest mistake. He thought that his display would make me lose the will to keep fighting, but all I felt at that moment was fear. It took him seconds to defeat Midna when she was at her strongest. What could I do against someone with that much power?' Link sighed his head resting in his hands. When he looked up, his face was covered with a small smile. 'But Midna didn't die so I could just give up. I had slain monsters that were born from our nightmares, traveled to places that few even know to exist, and I would not let one man kill more innocent people in the pursuit of power."

* * *

 **That turned out to be a lot more dialogue than I expected. Still, I felt that it was necessary for them to have this conversation. The next chapter will be about the final battle between Link and Ganondorf.**


	3. The Final Battle Retold

**So I've realized that it might be kinda confusing for you all to read my writing. To help clarify whats going on, I've decided that Link's thoughts will be in bold and will be italicized. Thanks for reading this note and I hope you enjoy the chapter.**

* * *

Pushing himself off the ground, Ganondorf drew his sword. "I've waited for hundreds of years for my revenge on this world, and your puny goddesses send another boy. You may wear his clothes, but you are nothing more than shadow of what I have dealt with in the past. Face me alone boy, and I'll allow you to die quickly." Ganondorf yelled to me from across the field.

"Link, don't fight him on your own. You'll get yourself killed." Zelda pleaded as the Hero dismounted Epona. Link looked at the princess over his shoulder for what could very well be the last time. "Everyone dies eventually your highness. Whether it be by the sword of my enemies or time itself, I will one day leave this world. If today is the is day the goddesses decide that I must go, then I'll make sure that Ganondorf goes with me."

As Link came to a halt in front of the Ganondorf, a barrier formed around the two combatants and the king of evil let out a thundering laugh. "You are a fool for thinking that you can defeat me. I have fought and killed thousands of so called Heroes over the centuries, boy. Your death will just be another moment in time that no one will remember. Besides, there's no better way of destroying hope than to kill a savior."

Without any warning, Ganondorf charged. Link barely managed to dive out of the way as Ganondorf's sword cleaved the air where he'd been standing only a moment ago. Using the momentum, Link rolled behind Ganondorf to perform a back slice, only to be kicked in the side. Pain arched through Link's ribs as he shakily rose to his feet. Once at safe distance, Link gingerly pressed a hand to his left side drew it away with hiss.

 _ **Damn it, those are definitely broken. He's a lot stronger than I expected, not to mention a much more experienced fighter. It looks like I'm gonna have to be careful with him.**_

"What's the matter _Hero_ , have I already scared the courage out of you, or are just unwilling to fight someone that can beat you?" Ganondorf sneered.

Link fell for the bait and rushed forward in a fit of rage. Their swords clashed against one another, lighting up the night sky like bolts of lightning dancing among the clouds. Link managed to keep on fight Ganondorf well into the night. At times one would seem to gain the upper hand, but only to then be pushed back into defense. As the hands of time continued along their eternal track, Link slowly began to lose ground. The hero was used to using his superior speed and agility to defeat his opponents, but with several busted ribs, Link was forced to take the brunt of Ganondorf's attack. While the Goddesses had blessed Link with their powers and had provided him with the Master Sword, the rest of his gear wasn't designed to be used against such strong opponent. Every time Link raised his shield to block one of Ganondorf's sword strikes, the metal would warp a little further.

 _ **This isn't good. My shield can't take much more of this. Another solid blow and it will just be a heavy piece of medal… That's it!**_

Link quickly cut the strap of leather that held the shield to his arm, leaving it hanging from his hand. Ganondorf swung the his blade in a wide horizontal arc in order to shatter the Hero's battered shield, only to be met with no resistance. Link had ducked under the blade instead of trying to block it. Winding back his arm, Link threw his shield at the King of Thieves with all of his strength. Caught by surprise, Ganondorf had no time to process what was going on before the shield crashed into his breastplate.

The Hylian Shield shattered on impact, causing the Gerudo to backpedal in order to stay on his feat. Seizing the moment, link rushed forward swung upward at Ganondorf with the Master Sword in both hands. In an instant, Ganondorf went from seemingly vulnerable to well prepared for the assault. As the two swords met in a lock, Link realised that he had fallen for Ganondorf's ploy. Backed by the Triforce of Power, Ganondorf slowly forced Link to his knees. Sweat rolled down the Hero's face as he struggled to keep his sword raised.

"I see the fear in your eyes, Hero. It's the same fear that this kingdoms pathetic army is consumed by. The same fear that lies under the surface of every person in this kingdom. The same fear that your late friend showed in her final moments. You are a disgrace to the goddesses, unworthy of the gift that you bear. When your country needed a hero, they sent a boy that was afraid. So tell me boy, shall I kill you now while you're on your knees or do you wish to go with dignity on your feet?" Ganondorf snarled. The hero's eyes widened as he recalled upon the words of an old friend.

 _ **A sword wields no strength unless the hand that holds it has courage. You must use your courage to seek power… and find it you must. Only then will you become the hero for whom this world dispairs.**_

As Link come back to the present and is greeted by the tip of Ganondorf's sword directly in front of his face. "Do not anger me boy, for I can make your death far more painful. So I'll ask you one more time; Will you die on your feet or on your knees?" the Demon King spat.

The hero closed his eyes and let out a long sigh. Sheathing his sword, Link slowly rose to his feet, his hands dangling at his sides in a sign of defeat. "All right Ganondorf, you win. Kill me while I'm still able to stand. At least that way I won't be remembered as the man who kneeled before the enemy."

"Hmmph. Courageous till the end. How predictable for one of Farore's pawns." Ganondorf mocked as he rose his sword to finish Link off. Using both hands, the king of evil brought his blade down in front of him with all of his strength, only for it to be met with no resistance.

Link twisted around the death blow, using his momentum to draw the Master Sword and smash it into Ganondorf's breastplate, sending him flying onto his back in a daze. Not wasting any time, Link jumped over Ganondorf's stomach and used all of his weight to send the Master Sword into the Demon King. Ganondorf's mouth parted to release a long drawn out scream of agony. The barrier that contained the battle ground shatters to the sound of his cry. Once the wind from the nearby gorge is the only thing that can be heard again, Link steps of off the Ganondorf. As he reaches forward to retrieve the Master Sword when he hears a grunting sound. The hero can only stare in shock as the wielder of power shakily rises to his feet, the Master Sword buried hilt deep into his chest.

"Don't think it ends here…" Ganondorf gasps. He clenches his jaw shut as his face contorts into a look of pure agony. "The history of light and shadow will be written in blood!"

As soon as the words leaves his lips, the golden triangles on the back of his hand fade from existence and his eyes roll into the back of his head.

* * *

"... I think I'm going to go in for the night Rusl." the young hero yawned.

"Oh of course. Sorry for keeping you up Link." Rusl apologises as he gets up and walks to the front door. Opening the front door, Rusl looks back at Link and smiles. "You did the right thing by sharing your troubles. "If you ever need someone to talk to, I'll be there." Rusl closed the door without another word, leaving Link alone with his own troubling thoughts.


	4. The Hero's Lament

**Finally moved past the fight scene. That took so long for me to write. I'm sorry if this chapter is shorter than the rest. Think of it as compensation for how long the last chapter was. Thanks for reading.**

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Chapter 4

As the moon nears the end of its voyage across the night sky, a stray beam of its mystical light shines through the window of the tree house. As it continues its sharp descent, the moonlight is canceled by the surrounding shadows before it can reach the face of a young man with a broken soul. Rising out of bed, Link walks over to the ladder next to his bed and climbs down to the rest of his house. Heading over to the front door, Link grabs his lantern from its hook on the wall and sets it on the table. Lifting his right hand up to the glass, Link closes his eyes and concentrates.

"Et tamquam scintilla."

As as whispers these words, small sparks start appearing inside of the glass lantern, lighting the oil that rests on the bottom of the container. Soon the room is filled with a warm orange glow by the lantern, illuminating the evidence of a much darker side to Link's battle scars. Papers lay scattered across the floor, covered with barely legible words. Dirty dishes covered the countertops, their owner having lost to will to take care of such task long ago. Red stains could be easily noticed on sections of the ancient trees inner wall. This was not the home of a man who was recovering. Picking up the lantern, Link slides his arm through the lantern ring, allowing it to hang freely from the crook of his arm. Now fully prepared, the young hero heads over to a different ladder that leads to the one place where the light of day will never find him. As the sun creeps over the horizon to greet Ordona province, Link lowers himself into the darkness.

Before the Twilight Invasion, Link had avoided his basement as much as possible. Water would leak through the old wooden walls, creating a cold and damp climate. On top of that, there was a strange mirror that was showed… darker reflections of a person, but these things no longer bothered Link. The part of him that was afraid of simple basement had died along time ago. Now this room was the place where Link hid away the reminders of his time with the twilight princess, the place where came to grieve in peace.

After setting the lantern on the center of the floor, Link carefully removes the lid, allowing the flame to light up the walls. Link's eyes begin their pilgrimage around the room, staring at the hero's carvings. The walls had been adorned with carvings of Links loss. Words of pain, love, and regret covered every inch of wood. Starting from where the words were born, Link reads his heart's lament for the last time.

 _I see a tear roll down your cheek_

 _As you vanish from my sight_

 _Why is my heart in so much pain_

 _It's a feeling I cannot fight_

 _This sadness that feels so sharp to me_

 _I feel it has pierced me through_

 _It is the fact I cannot stand_

 _The thought of losing you_

 _Why do I just stand like this_

 _With words I struggle to say_

 _I want to run and grab your hand_

 _Why do I feel this way_

 _You never seemed to have faith in me_

 _Just your quest I had to complete_

 _You'd put me down and push me on_

 _And my feelings I'd never speak_

 _But somewhere throughout our travels_

 _I saw a change within you_

 _And deep down inside I still feel_

 _That you know it's true_

 _You told me your real intentions_

 _That at first you didn't care for me_

 _But after all we had been through_

 _I didn't care, don't you see_

 _I saw the kindness in your heart_

 _You tried so desperately to hide_

 _You had experienced so much hurt_

 _And still you never cried_

 _I remember the careless words you said_

 _When we both first met_

 _I wanted to say that meeting you_

 _Is something I shall never regret_

 _But I see you here and leaving me_

 _And I still cannot speak_

 _Until I notice before you vanish_

 _More tears roll down your cheek_

 _You finally shed those heavy tears_

 _You held for far too long_

 _And now I know what this feeling is_

 _That still feels so strong_

 _I felt such happiness when you looked at me_

 _I hope you felt it too_

 _The moment I saw your beautiful face_

 _I fell in love with you_

 _Now the mirror has been shattered for good_

 _And I understand why it is so_

 _I know you did to protect our love_

 _But I still wish you didn't have to go…_

* * *

Rusl woke to the sound of howling in the distance. The older man shot out of bed and hastily put on some clothes. His frantic movements caused his wife to awaken from her own slumber. "Rusl dear, what's going on? Are we being attacked again." Uli asked, the concern for her husband clearly shown on her face.

"It's just a stray dog that wandered into town. I'm just going to take it back to the forest." he assured his wife. Grabbing his sword, Rusl quietly slipped out the front door. As soon as it latches shut, Rusl breaks into a sprint towards Link's house.

 _ **Please let that not be what I think it is…**_

* * *

 **Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed the chapter. If there are any typos in the story, just let me know and I'll fix them. I also just want to thank Meeshell-Art from Deviant Art for allowing me to use her beautiful poem. She has a lot of great content so go check out her profile. Also, please write a review. I don't care what if helpful or not, I just want to know what you think.**


	5. The End of the Beginning

**Another short chapter today. They will become longer than this again. I just needed to get this part written down. Still, I think you'll enjoy this.**

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Chapter 5

Link sat on his bed, staring at the glowing marks on the back of his hand.

After leaving everything from his journey behind, this was the one thing he would never be able to escape from. The longer Link stared at the triforce, the angrier he grew.

"The blessing of the golden goddesses.' he muttered sarcastically. 'All my life I was a farmhand, and I liked it that way. Then the world went to shit and you appeared."

Link rose to his feet and started shouting, long forgotten tears trailing down his face. "The only thing you've ever brought me is pain and death! Why did all of my friends have to suffer while the rest of the world remained oblivious? Why did thousands have to die in order for me to fix your mistakes? Why didn't you help me when the women I love left forever? Why did you make me go through all of this! **Why did it have to be me!?"**

Try as he might, the young swordsman couldn't stay angry for long. With every passing day, Link found it harder to feel anything. It was as if all of the color in the world had drained away, leaving behind nothing from his life except a cold, grey husk. There was nothing that made him happy. Any anger he managed to feet was short lived. Link no longer worried about his future because he simply didn't care about it anymore. The only feeling that still came freely to him was sadness.

Reaching with his hands to brush away the tears, Link winced in pain. The tracks of his tear had long since dried, leaving behind glass like shards of salt. Drawing his hand away from his face, Link noticed a small drop of blood right in the middle of his Triforce. In the golden light of the sacred treasures, the blood glowed orange.

… _**the exact same color as her hair… I'm sorry Midna for not telling you how I felt. I'll tell you everything very soon…**_

* * *

Rusl ran into the clearing to find Faddo standing in front of Link's house.

"Oh hey there Rusl. I assume ya heard the yelling as well. I was just walking on over here to remind Link that he had work when it all started. I sure hope that kid's ok." Faddo muttered as he scratched the back of his head.

"Faddo, I need you to listen very carefully. There's a horde of bokoblins heading this way from forest, so I need to block off the pathway to the rest of the town. Make sure everyone's is ready if to fight in the event that they get passed me. Can you do this for me Faddo?" Rusl asked.

"Yes sir! I'll block off the road so well that even the flies won't be able to go through!" Faddo yelled as he ran off to warn the village.

 _ **That man has a heart of gold but a brain filled with cobwebs.**_

Rusl chuckled at the ranchers antics and climbed the ladder to Link's front porch. Knocking twice on the door, Rusl stood there waiting for Link to answer the door. When there was no response, Rusl tried to open the door, only to find that it was locked.

"Link, if you don't let me in now I'm going to break down the door." From beyond the door came a weak groan. Filled with panic, the older swordsman drew the axe from his belt and started hacking away at the left edge of the wooden door. After a few strokes, the door was free from its hinges. Tossing the axe aside, Rusl kicked down the door, revealing a gruesome sight. Link sat in the middle of the floor with a knife in hand, his arms and legs covered in lacerations. His once white clothes were dyed red and blood pooled around the hero.

"I rather feel pain than nothing at all."

That was the last thing the Hero of Twilight said before his heart finally stopped working.

* * *

 **And so marks the end of the Legend you already know, and the beginning of a brand new one. If you liked the chapter, drop a comment below.**


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